Establishing a culture of teamwork after a successful playing career, Krystal Kelly is entering her 16th full season as Santa Clara head women's golf coach in 2025-26. 

In Kelly's previous 15 seasons, the program has reached unprecedented heights. Since Kelly took over full-time as head coach ahead of the 2012-13 campaign, Santa Clara has captured 18 team titles, qualified for the postseason in the last three consecutive seasons, finished top three at the WCC Championship in three of the last four years, and has produced some of the top players in program history, including Annie Freman, Kristin Le, Sarah Busey and Claire Choi. 

Kelly's teams have laid claim to nearly every top spot in the Santa Clara record book. Her teams hold every spot of the program's top 10 single season scoring average record with the 2024-25 squad claiming the top spot at an average of 295.67 strokes. Her teams also hold each of the top 10 18-hole and 54-hole scoring records. 

Under Kelly's tutelage, 14 different Broncos have earned a total of 17 All-WCC honors since she first took over in spring of 2011. During that time, a total of 17 Broncos have earned NCGA/WGCA All-America Scholar honors with many earning the honor multiple times. The Broncos have had at least one All-America Scholar in each of the last 10 seasons and has had at least three players earn the honor in the last six consecutive seasons.

Kelly is also responsible for coaching the program's first and second WCC Freshman of the Year winners. Freman won the honor in 2013-14 and Kelsey Kim became the program's second recipient in 2023-24. 

Santa Clara is coming off one of the better seasons in program history. In addition to breaking the program's scoring average record, the 2024-25 Broncos tallied four top-three finishes, including three-straight to close out the regular season. That includes a third-place finish at the WCC Championship - the team's third of the last four years - where the Broncos set program records for the conference tournament for both an individual round (2-under 286) and 54-hole total (24-over 888). Freshman Chloe Lam tied Freman's 2016 total for the best total score by a Bronco in the tournament's history at 3-over 219 to finish in a tie for fifth and earn All-WCC honors. Santa Clara closed the season on an even higher note by winning the 2025 Golfweek National Golf Invitational for the program's first-ever postseason victory. Four Broncos turned in season averages that rank inside the top 11 in program history. Kim finished with the program's second-best scoring average of 73.88 strokes while Lam (74.37), Audrey Brust (74.52) and Amy Im (74.55) rank eighth, 10th and 11th, respectively. 

The 2023-24 campaign saw the Broncos qualify for their second-straight postseason tournament with a return to the National Golf Invitational where they finished in third place. Santa Clara had a record-breaking turnout in the season-opening UVU Timpanogos Collegiate Invitational, shattering the school record for a 54-hole total at 18-under 846. The previous record was a 1-under 863 (2018 UC Irvine Invitational). The Broncos also shattered the 18-hole score with a 12-under 276 in the second round, and was a combined 12-under 546 after 36 holes - also a new school record. Santa Clara ended up finishing runner-up at the event as one of two top-three finishes during the fall portion of the campaign. The Broncos ended the year with yet another third place finish at the WCC Championship and a return to the Golfweek National Golf Invitational. Graduate transfer Meva Schmit earned All-WCC accolades while Kelsey Kim was the WCC's Freshman of the Year.

Schmit would go on to earn two professional tour cards for the 2025-26 season for the China LPGA Tour and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, becoming the Kelly's first player to play professionally. 

In 2022-23, Kelly and her staff set the groundwork for hosting what is poised to be one of the top tournaments in California for years to come - the Silicon Valley Showcase. The SVS was a massive success in its inaugural year, drawing some of the top teams on the west coast and garnering attention from multiple media outlets. The Broncos finished fifth at the WCC Championship and played in the postseason at the National Golf Invitational where they finished in fifth place.

After dealing with issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Kelly and the Broncos had a fantastic comeback season in 2021-22, setting a then-single-season school record scoring average of 297.47 while winning a pair of tournaments and posting three more runner-up finishes. Senior Claire Choi had one of the finest seasons of any Bronco in the program's history with a pair of individual victories at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic and Bobcat Desert Classic (both also team victories) en route to tallying the fourth-lowest scoring average in program history (74.03). Freshman Borina Sutkito also had a fantastic season with the fifth-lowest scoring average of 74.07 strokes. Both players earned All-WCC honors at seasons end. 

In 2018-19, Kelly led the program to its then-best-ever scoring average (298.97) and six top three finishes, including a victory at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, among the team's 10 tournaments performances. Sarah Busey finished the year with the top scoring average in program history at 73.43 strokes and was one of two All-WCC honorees alongside Emily Sumner. 

During both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, the Broncos matched a school record with three tournament victories. As a senior in 2016-17, Freman extended her school record to six career tournament crowns and ended her time with the then-best career scoring average (75.05) in Santa Clara history (now fourth). In addition, Le established herself on the national scene by becoming the second Bronco (Miki Ueoka, 2009) to reach the NCAA Championships. The Broncos picked up two more team victories in the 2017-18 campaign at the Wyomiing Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate and Cal Poly Invitational. 

In 2013-14, the Broncos finished third at the WCC Championships and set a program record with three team titles. They posted seven top five finishes in 11 tournaments.

Kelly, a former All-America player and NCAA Champion at UCLA, made an immediate impact as head coach in the spring of 2011 as the Broncos cracked the nation's top 100 as a team and three players received All-WCC honors at season's end. During the fall of 2011, the Broncos won a pair of tournament titles and two of her golfers claimed individual awards.

Kelly was named head coach on Feb. 8, 2011, following the resignation of Polly Schulze. In 2009, as a Santa Clara assistant coach, she redesigned the team's practice program, focusing on individual instruction.

On Oct. 25, 2011, Kelly won her first college tournament as a head coach, claiming the SCU Colby Invitational. Two weeks later, the Broncos did it again, winning the Lamkin Grip Cal Poly Invitational. Taylor Camany (Colby Invitational) and Balbina Guajardo (Lamkin Grip) were the individual winners.

With a 2012-13 roster that included four freshmen and just one senior, Kelly did perhaps her finest job of coaching and personal instruction. The team posted seven top 10 finishes in its 10 events with the first-year team members playing an integral part in the development and success of the squad. All five players, including three freshmen, placed in the top 20 and the team finished fourth at the WCC Championships.

The following season, the Broncos scored what to that point was the lowest 18-hole total in their history with a first-round 291 (Sept. 16) at the Boise State Invitational. Later that day, they shattered that mark with a second-round 287 and captured their first team title of the season the next day with a final round 297. Two seasons later at the 2016 Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, Santa Clara matched the school record with an opening-round 287 (April 4).

Another highlight was the victory at the 2013 SCU Colby Invitational as the team battled from six shots back on the second day to capture the 36-hole event by one shot on Oct. 22. The Broncos claimed their third title of that season by tying for the top spot at the Grand Canyon Invitational on Feb. 25, 2014.

Prior to coming to Santa Clara, Kelly played professionally from 2006 through 2008. She was named the California Player's Tour 'Player of the Year' in 2007, leading the tour's money list.

In 2004, Kelly earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from UCLA. She and her husband, Matt, have a son, Kolt.